Ferman
Ferman was a long-lived, powerful nation in the north, the most prominent rival to Gallat, and the home of the now-vanished religion of Alba. = Geography = Located on the eastern edge of the Kern Sea, at the head of the Crene Sea, Ferman was a primarily coastal nation south of the region that would later be known as Gallat. Its landscapes were once described as lush and mediterranean, with an inviting, warm climate that was ideal for growing grain and wine grapes alike. In the present day and age, however, the majority of southern Ferman has desertified, becoming part of the Jadhai Desert. The Allato Hills also fell within their boundaries, though the Fermani were more keen on calling them the "Fals". = History = Earliest Histories through the Bronze Age Ferman was known even to the first navigators to press into the Kern Sea, the Trilui and Seshweay. Evidently, they were a poor population of herders with little to offer the merchants besides the little incense that they acquired from their desert neighbors, the Nahsjad. The southern merchants brought seeds with them, however, and the Fermani began to grow enough grain to feed their own population as well as a significant wine crop that they exported to the south. With a new source of income, Ferman began to expand gradually outwards, absorbing the Hilberian uplands to their north as well as the hills to the east. Late in the Bronze Age, Ferman noticed a new nation growing on its northern frontiers, Gallat, along with two smaller nations which served as buffer states between them, Tarasat and Peren. Initially relations were cordial, and all seemed well. However, after the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations, trade died and the golden age slowly melted away; Gallat conquered Tarasat, and while Peren still lay between Ferman and Gallat, each nation now eyed the other with some suspicion. Iron Age The Fermani destroyed several large tribes on their borders, and continually contemplated the conquest of Kardil, a small state on the southern edge of the Crene Sea, but this never came to fruition. Instead, Ferman began to slump into a long, slow decline, with little leadership or initiative on any level. Only around 90 SR, with the founding of the city of Edrim and the religion of Alba, did signs of life begin to appear again. At the same time, Kardil began to fall to Maninist factions, and Gallat began to assert its dominance over the Kern Sea and even defy the powerful Seshweay. In response, Ferman allied with the Union of Aya'se and managed to drive the Gallatene state to revolution... But this brought a theocracy to power in Gallat, and in the south the Sira began to emerge as a Maninist faction as well. Ferman seemed surrounded by enemies. To make matters worse, their new allies the Union of Aya'se were utterly destroyed by the Satar invasion in the south. An arms race with Gallat ensued, and after only a short time, the two nations were on the brink of open war. The Fall of Ferman and Foreign Rule For more information, see the article on The Gallat-Ferman War. Ferman was invaded by two major Gallatene armies, and its cities fell one by one. Unable to hold back the attacks that came by both land and sea, Ferman carried on a guerilla resistance under the leadership of their general Fessan, but finally succumbed to the pressure of Gallatene arms. Under Gallatene rule, Ferman suffered rather considerably. The south had been largely abandoned to the desert, and much of the north had been repopulated by the Gallatenes. The fall of Gallat meant little; the main successor state in the Fermani area -- the Bhari Roshate -- did little but exploit the peasantry almost to the breaking point before they, too, fell. = Culture = The Fermani do not have the most striking of cultures. It is largely a syncretic mix of customs from the herdsmen of the south and the farmers of the north. Wine and olives are excellent here, and the cuisine has certainly benefited as a result, but otherwise Fermani customs are largely dying out. The majority of Fermani follow Maninism in the present day, though a fair number still cling to Alba, while a persecuted minority adhere to the Seshweay faith of Aitahism, or its variant Eastern Aitahism. Category:Historical Countries Category:Athis